Boys and Their Toys

Okay, as I may have mentioned before, I've been dating someone now for about 2 months. We met on Valentine's Day...yes, I'm not lying, it was Valentine's Day.

Anyway, so, he just bought a house in November, and he's trying to set up a home theater in his basement. He's got all of the equipment, but he doesn't have any home theater furniture. Well, he doesn't have much furniture, period. He was going to get this sofa he found "as-is" at IKEA for $110, with the slipcover. But, they sold it before he could get back with a truck to haul it in. Bummer. So, he's keeping an eye out for some cheap, decent-looking furniture for this room. Because once he does, it will be a sweet setup. I know I'll be over watching movies...that is, when he's not playing in one of his bands. :)

Tags: IKEA, dating, furniture, home theater, home theater furniture

Time after Time

The other day, I was going through my jewelry box and drawer, and I realized I have a TON of watches...a TON. But, none of them works. I've been too lazy to get the battery replaced in any of them. So now I'm wearing a cheap digital watch, which has actually lasted longer than any of the luxury watches I have (well okay, they're not luxury watches like Tag Heuer, but they are nice). How about that, sports fans? My favorite is my Anne Klein II watch, and I keep meaning to take it to a jeweler to replace the battery. But, as with most things in my life, I procrastinate...so it's just sitting there, gathering dust.

Tags: watches, Tag Heuer, Anne Klein II

My Quarters

As far as bathroom vanities go, the one in my apartment is okay. I can tell it's about 20 years old from the color/decor, but it'll do. If I had my druthers, I'd have either a new pedestal sink, or one of those basins that sit on top of a countertop. But, because I have no control over the appliances or fixtures, I'll just have to live with what I've got. I'm getting the urge to start looking at condos again, but I'm here for the duration because I'm fairly certain I couldn't afford to replace anything like a stove, refrigerator, etc. that broke. *sigh*

Tags: apartment living, appliances, condos

Renovations

My dad has done a TON of renovations to his condo since Mom passed away. I mean, he totally redid the master bathroom, had the kitchen completely redone, and also had some other renovations done. There have been so many, I can't keep them all straight. Anyway, I think he had Kohler sinks put in the master bathroom, as well as the guest bathroom (that's what I was forgetting!). He put in one of those basin sinks that I thought I'd love to have myself, but it's too high for me...when I wash my face, I hit my head on the faucet! But, they are nice...much nicer than what I'll ever get in an apartment. Someday, I'll be able to get my own place and be able to make changes to things I don't like.

Tags: Kohler, renovations, kitchen, apartment

IKEA!!!

I can hardly wait! The new IKEA opens on March 12th. Woo hoo! Of course, I will avoid that area like the plague for a few weeks, at least. The pictures I've seen of opening days at other IKEAs make Black Fridays at malls look like normal shopping days. I really, really need a dining room table, some new tall bookcases, and I'm also looking for a platform bed frame (or wrought iron, can't decide). Platform beds just look so "clean" to me...I can't describe it any other way. It's modern, but not too modern, you know? I think I might use that rebate check we're supposed to get in May for some home furnishings. Why does it have to be May??? Can I wait that long? We'll see.

Tags: IKEA, Black Friday, platform beds, home, home furnishings

My Apartment, So Far

So far, I really like my apartment. There are a few drawbacks, like the fact that I have to flush my toilet to get the whining noise in my shower to stop. Or, the fact that my water pressure isn't as great as I've had in the past. Or, that the hot water takes forever to heat up. I sometimes wish apartments had tankless water heaters, which provide almost instantaneous hot water and save you a lot of money. The water is heated as it travels through an element...it's not sitting there being stored, just waiting to be used. Maybe for a huge house, it's not the best idea in the world. But for an apartment dweller, it'd be great.

Staying at Dad's

When I stayed at my dad's place after his surgery, I slept on a bed with a memory foam mattress, or at least that's what the mattress cover was made out of (never took the sheets off to look). You know, it wasn't that bad. The first time I sat on it, it felt unforgiving. It was hard to get used to at first, and I always have problems sleeping in unfamiliar places. But after the first two nights, I slept pretty well. It definitely conformed to my body in all the right ways, probably better than a standard mattress. But these things are tres expensive, so I don't think I'll be getting one for myself anytime soon. Maybe I'll look into a mattress cover, because those aren't as expensive as an entire mattress made out of memory foam. We'll see.

Tags: memory foam, memory foam mattress

Still Unpacking

Yes, I moved over a month ago...and I'm still unpacking. In all fairness, I had a bad case of tennis elbow (or in this case, mover's elbow), so I couldn't really do too much. What I didn't know what to do with went in the second bedroom, so it's completely full. My desk and home computer are in there, along with a myriad of cables (for all I know, I have some HDMI cables packed away somewhere). It's insane, and I can't figure out how to organize the closet in there. So I'm procrastinating beyond belief and just pretending like it's not as bad as it looks. My dad will be coming over when he can to help hang pictures. That'll help make it feel more like home and less like a temporary residence. That's my theory, anyway.

Tags: tennis, tennis elbow, HDMI, home computer, computer, home

My New Home

I just moved into my new place about two weeks ago. And slowly but surely, it's coming together. Now, it's not quite as nice as where I used to live, but few places are. All I care about is that I now have two bedrooms (well, more like 1 1/2...wouldn't consider my office big enough for a bedroom). Their choice in bathroom vanities was very basic, and I'd say hasn't been updated in about 15 years. Although I do like my new tub...it's oval, and big enough to actually lounge in and take a soothing hot bath. Think I could also put candles around it and not have to worry about sloshing water all over them. How novel! Anyway, it's going to be slow-going getting everything in its place. It always does. Then once Dad has recovered from his surgery tomorrow, he can come over and help me hang pictures...I'm so bad at that! Perhaps then, it'll feel more like home, and less like a disaster area. :)

Things I'll Miss on My 30 Mile Commute

Nothing! Haha. No, actually, I will miss the countryside just a little bit, especially with the fall colors (although those are gone for the most part). I'll miss the horse farms with all the lovely horses grazing. I'll miss the farmer's markets, too. It's amazing all the land for sale between here and Cincinnati. Soon, it will become Cincinnati-Dayton like Minneapolis-St. Paul. The two are getting closer and closer together.

What won't I miss? Taking 40 minutes to get home from work. I'll have about an hour more out of my day to get things done. Perhaps I'll get the urge to exercise more? Maybe. That'll have to be after I get all unpacked, and look after my dad and his surgery. He's having his prostate removed...no cancer, but the doctor says it'll become cancerous if it's not removed soon. But, being closer to "home" will make doing that easier, that's for sure. I can hardly wait. Now if I can just get through tomorrow when the move actually takes place. Ugh.

Tags: work, commuting, Cincinnati, Dayton

Must Be Nice

So the other night, an online friend of mine I met on Second Life showed me pictures of the home theater and his wife built in their basement. Whoa. It really looks like a small theater, complete with seating and home theater lighting...and of course the required 52 inch plasma television and surround sound (but, I can't see that, heh). They had the money to do it, so they took the plunge. Don't get me wrong. I like my gadgets, but I can't see spending thousands on making a home theater. Maybe a nice LCD TV and surround sound speakers, but that's it for me. If we by any chance get a bonus next year, I think I'll make the plunge and get an HDTV, since we'll be switching over to that anyway. But that's a ways away...I gotta get moved in first!

Tags: home theater, television, HDTV, LCD TV, plasma TV, Second Life

Moving, How I Hate Thee

I really, really need to buy a house. Why? Because then, it's less likely I will move ever again. Seriously. Going through all the stuff I've accumulated over two years is depressing, only because it shows me how bad of a pack-rat I am. And given I move next Thursday, I don't really have time to purge now, so everything is coming with me. Oh, unpacking will be just as fun, I just know it...

But then, every now and then, I have a fond memory of moving, mainly the ones having to do with new stuff my parents bought me when I moved into my first apartment. My mom got me one of those espresso machines, which I think she really wanted for herself...because she drank coffee, a lot, and I didn't. While I enjoy a latte every now and then, it's not my life's blood. So, it sits under my counter and collects dust. I should just give it away, but it holds too many memories, especially with my mother having departed this plane of existence 4 years ago this month. But that's another blog entry entirely, and one I don't want to write...because even thinking of writing it makes me tear up a little. *sigh* So maybe, tomorrow I will get out the espresso machine and have myself a latte in honor of Mom and her coffee-loving ways. :)

Tags: moving, espresso, coffee, blog, apartment, pack-rat

Decorating the New Apartment

When I move, I'm planning on getting one of those modern platform beds for my new bed frame. That, or I'm going to wait for the new IKEA to open near me (spring of 2008....woooooo!) so I can get their wrought iron frame that's only $250. Right now, I have the standard frame with no headboard, and it's ugly. But, it's what I have...and it beats it being on the floor (I need the storage space, even though feng shui says it's a no-no to store things under your bed). Then my dad says he'll either buy me a new couch, or pay to have my hand-me-down one (which is about 25 years old!) reupholstered. He did it for my brother when he bought his house, so he says it's only fair he does the same for me. Who am I to argue? I can hardly wait to move...end of November can't come soon enough!

Home Theater, Sweet Home Theater

A friend of mine is spending thousands of dollars turning his basement into the ultimate home theater. I mean, he's getting a sound system that rivals actual theaters you have to leave your house to experience. Okay, not really...but he's getting home theater seating, home theater carpet, and of course the obligatory big screen TV, which would take up my entire living room, I think. I'm sure it will be a sight to see when it's finished, but I just don't get the need for this. Yeah, it costs anywhere from $50 to $100 to take a family to see a movie these days, but spending thousands on a home theater will take forever to break even, I think. I mean, I only go to see movies in the theater that I think will lose impact on a smaller screen, but I'm perfectly happy watching movies that don't lose anything on a smaller screen on my 32" flat screen. Now, I will be replacing it with an LCD HDTV, when all programming has to switch over anyway. But even that's nothing in comparison to what my friend has. Nothing is, haha. :)

Oooo...shiny!

I was admiring someone's light fixtures in their home the other day, and I asked who made it. They said it was Quoizel lighting. Huh? Never heard of it. Of course, I usually don't pay attention to names of lighting fixtures. But I do find myself fascinated by lighting sections in just about any store. Must be the "ooo, shiny!" aspect of the lighting? I have no idea. Or maybe it's the fact that I grew up in a household where chandeliers were necessary for the dining room and the bigger dining room we had in our basement. Most folks don't really care about that sort of thing. And if I had the means, I probably would have replaced my empty light fixture sockets with a nice ceiling fan/light fixtures. But I don't have a ladder tall enough for that (or a ladder...period). It's my rationalization for not doing it...because, I am after all the queen of procrastination.

Movin' On Up...Or Down, As the Case May Be

When I first moved into my apartment just over two years ago, I was planning on putting in ceiling fans where there used to be light fixtures. But, since I am the queen of procrastination, there are still metal plates covering up the wiring where the light fixtures went. Heck, I still have pictures I haven't hung yet. Considering I'll be moving out in October, that's of little concern to me right now.

That reminds me...better figure out what date I need to give notice, since it's 45 days and not 30. Also need to figure out where I want to live down in Cincinnati. My heart longs to live near the central part of the city in some two family like I did two years ago, but I have a washer and dryer that I would sooner part with than my car. And most two families come with a washer and dryer (ancient ones at that). So, I'll probably have to live north of town, because the apartment communities around where I want to live would charge me about $200 more per month for a smaller one bedroom apartment than what I have now. That's insane...$900 for 650 square feet??? But, people will pay that because it's the cool and hip part of town. Guess I'll have to settle for less cool and hip, and more affordable and with washer/dryer hookups. :)

Target, How I Love Thee

My cousin just had her 60th birthday party, and the person that hosted it had the cutest party invitations I'd seen in a long time. I asked her where she got them, and she said, "Target!" I should have known, because Target always seems to have the cutest stuff. They may not be as cheap as Wal-Mart, but you can bet that it's probably better-made than anything you can get there (I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart anyway). For house decoration, clothes...and apparently stationery, you really can't find a better place if you're looking for something with style that won't make you cry when you hand over your credit card to the cashier.

Is November Here Yet?

I've never wanted fall to come so quickly, but fall is when I move back to Cincinnati. One of my friends has a mother who's a real estate agent, and is trying to convince me I need to buy a house. Ummmm...if I had more time, yeah. But I know that can take upwards of 6 months, and I don't have that luxury. I'd rather move into another apartment, then maybe 6 months into it start looking at loans, and then at condos (no houses for me...I know I wouldn't be able to deal with the upkeep it requires). Besides, it'll take me awhile just to find an apartment. So, I think I'll wait a bit longer to take the home ownership plunge.

The Simple Life

There are a few different types of furniture I like, one of them being Shaker furniture or even Quaker furniture. Probably the best place to shop for this is a North Carolina furniture place, as the Quakers actually had a large settlement there. While it wasn't as big a place for Quakers to settle as, say, Pennsylvania...you'd be surprised at the number of Quaker "parishes," for lack of a better word. I only know about this because my step-grandfather's daughter was a Quaker, along with her husband. If you're into clean, simple furniture...this is the way to go.

WritingIsFun Cooks? Yeah, Right...

Next week, I'm going to my cousin's 60th birthday party. Rather than bringing a present, we're supposed to bring food. That's great, except I don't really cook, nor do I have much cookware to cook with. But I think I have a solution! I'm going to go to my dad's to make something. He has every type of cooking implement you could possibly imagine, and he's already working on the perfect thing to take since he can't go. Figure it'll be his way of being at this party to take something he suggested, and will probably end up making (he can't stop once he's started in a kitchen!).